Tag Archive | Weed

Here’s another example of a band successfully going back in time in order to appear forward thinking, as Canadian noise rockers Weed make use of VHS Cassette-quality technology for the visually disquieting clip accompanying a decidedly brilliant post-apocalyptic tune they call “Gun Shy.” While this is possibly the most deliberately lo-fi recording I’ve heard in years that did not involve Guided By Voices, I find what Pitchfork described as the “familiar yet wonderfully warped sound of a mix tape that had been decaying in the glove compartment of an abandoned car since 1991″ to be an odd combination of exhilarating and comforting. I believe the aesthetic is what we used to affectionately refer to as “Punk Rock” before that phrase ceased to have any meaning in a modern context. Also, the singer’s vocals remind me of Wire Train (Google them).

Although Weed have been around for a decade, this track comes off of what is, surprisingly, the band’s debut album, Deserve. Find out more about the World of Weed by visiting their awesome website and blogThis Link. Enjoy!

In the mid-1990s, when music was an entirely different animal than it is now, there was a fantastic NYC-based power pop quartet, possessed of a wickedly gritty edge, called Thin Lizard Dawn. Thin Lizard Dawn were just about my favorite band in the world for the short time they were together. TLD sounded something like The Beatles meets 10 CC and their self-titled, 1995 debut featured energetic, danceable songs about smoking pot (“Weed”), enthusiastic sex (“Sexual Dynamo”) and how much they thought Oasis sucked (“Sucks). I loved them so much and that album is still one of my favorite discs of all time. But TLD’s record label, RCA, had no clue how to market them and the band was dropped after their sophomore album failed to make any kind of dent in the commercial marketplace. Which reminds me of a joke:

Q: How do you stop the spread of AIDS?
A: Let BMG distribute it.

More than a decade has passed since the death of Thin Lizard Dawn, but the bands’ individual members have all gone on to have careers in the music industry, and that includes lead singer/guitarist/heartthrob Greg Lattimer. Greg is currently a studio engineer and producer, but he still finds time to write and record original music. The Happinesses is Greg and his wife Alice, just performing simple, memorable songs about love. Please enjoy this very fun, split-screen video for the super hooky “Beautiful Mistake.” “Like” The Happinesses on FaceBook at This Link.

I’m happy to say that I am moving back home tonight after 10 days of sofa surfing, iPadding on the bus and living out of a bag. Thanks to everyone who helped make these past two weeks a little less hellish than they could have been.